Category: From Our Fathers Heart

“Do you know that you are building up a case against yourself when there is evidence of Christ’s love in your life? The world hates Who He is. When they see Him in you, they will hate you. Soon those who love Him will pay a price for that love. It may require all that you have. It may require your life. If there is any evidence that Jesus is in your life, you will be the enemy of those who hate Him. Are you ready for that kind of sacrifice? Are you ready to show them Who He really is by loving them with His kind of love when they have only murder in their hearts for you? Now is the time to prepare for those times. They are coming soon!”

Psalm 3:1-6 AMP

1) Lord, How they are increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.

2) Many are saying of me, there is no help for him in God. Selah [pause and calmly think of that]!

3) But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

4) With my voice I cry to the Lord and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. Selah [pause and calmly think of that]!

5) I lay down and slept, I awakened again, for the Lord sustains me.

6) I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.

Psalm 46:1 AMP

God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.

Matt. 5:11-12 NIV

11) “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12) Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Matthew 5:13 AMP

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality) how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.

 

Most of us go to God for the “desperate” needs in our lives, like paying bills or that person at work that is not being nice to us. We forget about the saints who live under dire circumstances, such as prisons or persecutions, all over the world. We choose to forget that this life in Christ is distasteful to those who love evil.

As this season comes to an end, it would be good to understand that we are in a time of training for evil times ahead. To claim that we are immune to peril because we love Jesus is foolishness. Any reasonable, thinking human being can see that darkness is becoming more prevalent and great darkness is soon to come. Now is the time for spiritual preparation. It will be very important to know our God intimately and to gain the heart of Jesus for when great evil invades our lives.

Prepare my heart now, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“You must become devoted to Me and My Word. In fact, I want your whole life to be considered a devoted thing, something having no life of its own, but existing only through and for Jesus. Build up a resistance to criticism as you sell out. Harden your heart to the sirens of the world. Soften it to every beat of His heart. Walk only where you are invited to walk with Me. Avoid anything that resembles the world.

“As you distance yourself from those things that desire to sway you away from a devoted life, you will find the true peace and happiness that comes from an honest, upright relationship with Me. You will experience unparalleled joy that is not contingent upon your circumstances and situations. You will have overcome the world and its ways. You will finally have peace, the kind of peace that I have always intended for you to have.”

Gal. 2:20a NIV

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

Gal. 5:24 AMP

And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.

Gal. 6:14 NIV

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Phil 3:10-11 AMP

10) [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]

11) That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].

 

Paul’s devotion to the Gospel is heartwarming. As you study the verses in Philippians 3 above, try to see through the words and into the heart of this devoted man of God. There was no compromise for him. He was completely sold out to the desire of knowing his Master and Savior.  He wanted to know his Lord intimately. He wanted to understand exactly what had occurred at the cross and the resurrection.  He wanted to benefit from the power of the risen Christ, not for his own good; but for the sake of being changed into the image of his Lord. He wanted it all for the sake of the Gospel.

This relationship with Jesus is much more than going to church, giving to missions, praying, and talking about the things of God. It is a road trip to the complete death of our flesh. It is also an incredible journey to knowing our Lord and Savior intimately, if we choose to sell out completely to Him.

I believe that most of the church functions on the perimeter of the kind of relationship that Father God intends for us. Most of us do only as much as it takes to know that we are “safe” and on our way to heaven, when there is so much more available if we would only sell out completely. The thought of compromise never entered into Paul’s heart and mind when it came to His relationship with Jesus.  It shouldn’t enter into ours either.

Remove compromise from my life, Lord,

 Jim Corbett

“Do you know that when you truly find Me in your heart, you will find Me everywhere? Maybe you have forgotten this basic truth. When I am the reason and focus of all that you do, there is really no room for fear, confusion, doubt, anxiousness, or any other emotion that would hinder you from seeing My presence on everything in your world. Remember the first love time when Jesus was your everything? Remember the brightness of love that you felt? Recall how you felt about your needs and fears. In fact, try to recall anything that could move you to distraction. There wasn’t anything, was there? That kind of insight and freedom is the heritage of anyone who allows Me to totally consume his heart through the cross.

“Circumstances, situations, peril of any kind - even death - have no hold on you nor bearing on your decisions and actions. Obedience and continuous fellowship with Me allow you to rise above everything that would normally hamstring you and immobilize your life. I planned it that way. I am your safety. You have been made to dwell with Me in all that you do. When you leave My presence, you become fair game for the enemy of your soul.

We “Observe your life. Determine to recognize any areas that you have allowed to become independent of Me. Those areas will one day cause you great harm. Bring them back under My Lordship. When you do, you will have postured yourself to flow with Me in absolute freedom, rising above your carnal limitations. You will be able to see everything from My perspective. From here, there is nothing that can hinder us in anything We decide to do together. I have created everything and everything submits to My hand. When you dwell with Me, you will thoroughly understand that.”

Amos 4:13 NIT

He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth –  the Lord God Almighty is his name.

Acts 4:29-31 AMP

29) And now, Lord, observe their threats and grant to Your bond servants [full freedom] to declare Your message fearlessly,

30) While You stretch out Your hand to cure and to perform signs and wonders through the authority and by the power of the name of Your holy Child and Servant Jesus.

31) And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the Word of God with freedom and boldness and courage.

 

If God is not who He says He is, we are all in a whole lot of trouble. If, however, He is all that He is shown to be in His Word, we are the most privileged beings ever created by His hand. We have the astounding heritage of receiving unlimited interaction and fellowship with Him. From the safety of His presence, we have been formed to hold His presence wherever we go and in whatever we do. If we choose to accept it, we are untouchable by anything because of His indwelling in us.

One of the hazards of having a calling as a watchman is the awareness of the world around me and its function in accordance with the Word of God. Continual in-depth study of the times and seasons and their implications brings the biblical consequences of items in the daily news clear and up close.

As important as that is, there are hazardous possibilities that accompany that kind of mission. It is very easy to get my eyes off of the Lord and focus on the very apparent dangers that are unfolding every day, especially in this end-time season.

Without the power of the Lord to continually pull me back to His Word - and the reason, comfort, and freedom that it imparts, bringing His presence and purpose back in focus - I would remain locked in a continual state of fear, which would discolor everything I do. Too often, I am distracted for too long, fluctuating back and forth from freedom to fear when some issue is highlighted by the Lord. It is not a lack of faith in my God whom I know is faithful; it is a misdirection of focus because of the overwhelming responsibility that I feel. Only as my Lord directs me back to Himself and His Word can I break loose, and once again flow completely in His freedom, knowing that in Him there is no fear and no urgency other than His urgency to bring souls into the kingdom.

Needing to “tuck in” every moment,

Jim Corbett

“Today I call you to a quiet place in Me. I ask you to find the time to set aside all the typical treasures that hold your attention and rethink your priorities. I ask you to allow Me to remind you who you are because of your relationship with Jesus. It is also important to confirm what your calling is and how far you have deviated from the very specific goal that I have for you. You need to make an accounting of your life, so that you are ready when I call you.

“Make no mistake, I will call you. Most of the world and most of My church are being positioned for a true falling away. They are being drawn to a way of thinking that controls their every move. Soon, they will not be able to awaken from their stupor and will need to be pulled from the bondage they are in. You will need to have everything in order, so that you remain with Me when others leave. Come now. I will show you what is out of order. We will make things right together.”

Matt. 6:31-33 NIV 

31) “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

32) For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

33) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

II Thess. 1:11 NIV 

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.

II Pe.1:5-11 NIV 

5) For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;

6) and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

7) and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

8) For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9) But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

10) Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,

11) and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

There is great expectancy in the air for those who are listening to God. Something is about to happen that supersedes the ebb and flow of everyday living. There is a quiet wooing being heard only by those who have turned their ears, attentive to the intimate words of Father God.

At present, the call is out for honest, complete preparation; a re-examination of every motive, goal, and priority, which will result in a fullness of commitment. Soon it will be time to implement. God is preparing a people who are poised and ready for what is ahead - a people capable and trustworthy to carry the Gospel to the starving and confused.

Let me not grow weary in this time, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“I ask you, My children, to guard your hearts. The enemy of your soul is taking great pains to destroy My people with confusion and compromise. Be careful to whom you listen. What is the fruit of their lives? What is the treasure of their hearts? Are they pursuing Me as their only ambition? Where do you seek wisdom? When you seek counsel, seek wise counsel. Make sure that the counsel you seek spends enough time in My Word and with Me to hear My heart, rather than the logic of the world.

“How can wisdom come from carnal ideas? How can wealth come from a bankrupt spirit? Guard the hearts and minds of your children. Make sure that you are a covering over what they see and to whom they listen. Protect their tender minds with My Word. Instill the goal of holiness in them. I have given them to you so that they will be safe.

“In this day, be on guard for those who call themselves by My Name but follow the ways of the world. The tactic of the enemy is to befriend you with foolish sheep who have nothing holy to offer you. They are most dangerous. They have long ago turned their backs on My kind of road to travel and have decided to go their own way. They have quieted My voice for so long that they can no longer hear. Why would you listen to their counsel? Do not open your heart to them nor give your children to their care. Now is the time for discernment. Be careful what you are hearing. Be careful of who is saying it.”

Prov. 22:6 AMP

Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Mark 4:24 AMP

And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you…

 

The Lord has often shown me my responsibility as a father. Over the years, He has made it clear to me that His hand is on my daughter, and that He considers her heart and life very special. Before she was born, Merry and I knew that He had plans for her life. We’ve taken great measures to guard her heart. She’s a wonderful daughter.

That being said, we noticed one day when she was about eight, she had begun to act differently. Merry and I sensed a spirit of rebellion, far more evident than the normal actions of a strong-willed child. Because we both sensed it at approximately the same time, we began to pray. The words “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” (1 Sam. 15:23) kept coming to my mind.

As we traced our actions over the days previous to our awareness, we remembered that she had stayed overnight at the house of a Christian friend. When we asked questions about some of the activities that transpired, my daughter could come up with little that would give us caution. In the course of conversation, however, she said that she didn’t like the idea that the family was watching a Harry Potter movie - a movie about witchcraft - in the other room while she and her friend played in the bedroom. My wife and I looked at each other in amazement. How could that go on in a Christian household?

We thought that we had done our homework as parents. Obviously, the Lord was calling us to a better stewardship. Because someone “talks the talk” doesn’t mean that they can be trusted. I know that it is important to give mercy and grace to those who have not yet found out the dangers of flirting with the world, but it is also very important to be wise and not fall into harm’s way. From then on, we were much more careful about where we allow our daughter to spend time, especially overnight. She simply is too valuable to be exposed to the rubbish of the world whenever it can be averted.

By the way, we prayed, and the joy, peace, and love came back into our household. Our daughter even said that she felt clean again. She could tell that she felt different after being there but didn’t know what to do about it. Prayer works!

Needing to see clearly and trust Jesus,

Jim Corbett